Forever Young
by tayababy
Summary: oneshot, based on the 'Forever Young' song by Youth Group. Everyone reflects on life past, present and future


Forever Young

Everyone is grown up, their children playing. 'Forever Young' by Youth Group is playing in the background as parents muse over their children's actions and reminisce about their own childhoods.

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's or the song. And I don't take to the return of toys kindly…

* * *

_Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while  
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies_

Derek stood on the balcony of the house he had built for Meredith fifteen years before, when she was pregnant with their third child, Elizabeth, and was watching over his seven children playing in the garden.

17 year old Hayden was being pummelled into the ground by four of his siblings, 14 year old Elizabeth, 9 year olds Kyle and Richard, and 5 year old Annabelle. His other two children, 12 year old Shannon and 2 year old Addison, were with their mother only metres away their mother waiting for one of the others to scream in pain.

_Hoping for the best but expecting the worst  
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?  
_

He thought back to his childhood days, when his sisters would be doing the same thing, except somewhere more uncomfortable for him, like the dining room carpet.

He laughed at the thought, and was glad his children knew how to have fun, even if they were the children of America's two top neurosurgeons.

He continued to stand there, watching his family, contemplating how much his wife would kill him, or the other attendings at Seattle Grace, when he wound up more injured than the five children out together.

_Let us die young or let us live forever  
We don't have the power but we never say never _

Derek sighed. He couldn't join in, as much as he wanted to. Addison and Mark were due at their mansion any minute for Shannon's birthday party, as were Izzie, Alex, George, Callie, Preston, Christina, Miranda and Tucker. They would also be bringing their broods of children.

He also couldn't join in because he wasn't as young as he used to be; Mark and Meredith couldn't stop reminding him, and the total of twenty-five 'Seattle Grace children' were continually rubbing the fact in.

As much as he wanted to be forever young, he wanted to grow old with Meredith by his side.

_  
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip  
The music's for the sad men _

Addison stared out of the windscreen of the 4WD mark was driving; her five children in the back driving her barking mad. 17 year olds Ashton and Amanda, her only daughters, were having some argument about their boyfriends, one who happened to be Hayden Shepherd; 11 year old Hunter was attempting to punch 13 year old Monty, and was losing; and 5 year old James was singing with his Teddy.

She sighed, exchanging a look with her husband. Mark Sloan, manwhore-turned-father, smiled in return. He also couldn't wait to reach Shep's place, only because he knew there would be booze, and a lot of it.

_  
Can you imagine when this race is won  
Turn our golden faces into the sun _

Addison's thoughts flew back to the day she walked in to Seattle Grace, when Meredith and Derek were happy, when the interns were still as lively as children.

_  
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune  
The music's played by the madman  
_

Mark's own thoughts recalled his own teenage years, most of which he spent with Shep, drinking, pranking and seducing women. Most of his adult life had been the same, except alone after Derek had left Manhattan; he had been Mark Sloan, manwhore extraordinaire, God's gift to women…

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever_

Mark sighed to himself; as much as he loved his manwhore years, he would never change them for anything; he would never trade in his family, his loving wife and children, for anything.

_  
Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever  
Forever young  
_

Alex and Izzie Karev were already at the Shepherd mansion by the time the Sloans' had arrived. Unfortunately, her large brood of nine took the longest to unpack from the car, especially when most of them were young.

_Some are like water, some are like the heat  
Some are a melody and some are the beat  
_

17 year old Emma was stuck in the back of the Karev minivan, iPod firmly in her ears, volume up loud to drown out the sounds of her younger siblings; 14 year olds Lillian and Leanne, currently not talking to each other, were separated by 11 year old Jackson, who was complaining about being stuck between his 'hot' older sisters. Alex fought back at him with the classic 'when you're older you will never complain about that again' speech while trying, unsuccessfully, to unbuckle 7 year old Katie, who had just spilt her drink all over him.

Izzie was having more success, barely. 5 year old Alexis was throwing a tantrum of sorts and would not let anyone but her idolised eldest sister, Emma, near her; while 2 year old triplets Jacob, Juliette and Joshua were all screaming at once to be let out of their car seats.

_Sooner or later they all will be gone  
Why don't they stay young _

Alex tried to think what it would be like ten or fifteen years later. Em, Lily, Leanne and Jack should have their own careers, if not families, to worry about; Katie would hopefully be avoiding bars, unlike Meredith, and studying somewhere; Alexis would hopefully be closer to home, if not living there; and the triplets would either be completing high school or battling the Seattle businesses for the best jobs.

He couldn't really picture it, their house empty; devoid of the children they had raised; but Alex knew that everyone had to grow up sooner or later.

_  
It's so hard to get old without a cause  
I don't want to perish like a fading horse  
_

George and Callie O'Malley had parked their SUV where they normally did, only having to off load two children; miracle children. While tyring to conceive, Callie had found out that she was virtually incapable of bearing children. After several IVF treatments, she had one successful pregnancy.

Callie did not like being wrapped in proverbial cotton wool, but she was for the duration of her miracle pregnancy. Now, four years later, she had adorable twin boys Gregory and Gabriel; Greg and Gabe; her loving, little pirates; her miracles.

_Youth is like diamonds in the sun  
And diamonds are forever _

George sighed, staring over at Izzie's flock of battling children, wishing somehow that he could experience that. He remembered having a lonely childhood, one he did not want for his boys, which was why all of the kids were such close friends. George did not want them to be the odd ones out – the lonely boys among the big, happy families.

But, then again, some things can't be helped. He would have to talk to Callie about maybe adopting or fostering some other children, so the boys could have their own big, happy family.

_  
So many adventures couldn't happen today  
So many songs we forgot to play _

Christina Burke never wanted children, but when she fell pregnant two years after she was married, she became resigned to the fact that she would, in fact, become a mother.

Preston had always wanted children; a little boy to teach to play his trumpet, a baby girl to spoil for ever and ever. Adam Christopher, seventeen year old 'most popular guy at Seattle High' was everything Preston ever wished for, and more. Adam could play the trumpet, bass guitar and drums; was the Seattle Seahawks' best quarterback; and was dating the best girl anyone could wish their child to love – Ashton Sloan. Christina's little princess, Anna Meredith Burke, was the child that turned her from a surgery-hungry superwoman into a mother.

Christina never cried when Adam was born, never really, not so much cared, but was resigned to the fact that she was Adam's mother. Now, with Anna hitting her six month mark, Christina was softer than ever. She was still strict at the hospital, but at home she never let her baby out of her sight.

Anna had her mother wrapped around her little finger.

_  
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue  
We let them come true  
_

If you told any of the 2006 interns that they would be proud parents in 18 years time, none of them would have believed you; at least one would have sworn in your face, if not spit; all of them would have laughed themselves silly.

Christina Yang, even after she was married, took after Miranda Bailey as the Nazi; Meredith Grey managed to become the second top neurosurgeon in the country as well as a loving mother to her seven children; Izzie Stevens and Alex Karev were Addison Sloan's protégés in the neonatal surgery field, almost as good as Addison herself; and George O'Malley was… well, he was George O'Malley.

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever  
_

Derek continued to watch the growing hoard of children from his balcony; their mothers were standing by watching, most of them cooing over baby Anna; their fathers gathering around the large barbeque area breaking out the beer.

He wished he could be young again; to enjoy late nights with friends; to drink like there was no tomorrow. But, then again, he loved watching his children growing up; couldn't wait for Hayden to propose to Amanda Sloan, although he hoped that wouldn't be for a year or two. Derek loved watching Elizabeth and Shannon become more like Addison every year, even though their closets were full of designer labels; he enjoyed going to Richard and Kyle's school presentations, and laughed every time they beat each other up, knowing even though Mere would frown at them, the twins had a good reason for smashing each other this time.

And most of all, Derek loved spending time with his youngest children, Annabelle and Addison. He wished he could stay young for long enough to see every one of his children married with children.

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever forever forever_

If he couldn't be forever young, he could be young long enough to see his family happy.

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